9 dead, 4 missing as rare downpour triggers landslides in Nha Trang
Monday, November 19, 2018, 11:20 GMT+7
Landslides that followed a deluge killed nine people, leaving four missing and paralyzing public transport in Nha Trang, the coastal capital of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday.
Officials said most of the victims were buried under masses of earth that fell down the mountains in the resort city, and rescue efforts had been severely impeded by difficult terrain.
Three of the dead were found in the rubble near an artificial reservoir whose bank was burst by the rainstorm.
A mother and her child who owned a pho restaurant in Nha Trang died after its rear wall caved in and trapped them, while all customers fled the collapse. A group of Vietnamese tourists were dining at the eatery at the time of the accident, with four of them injured in the collapse.
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| Rainwater flows down a slope following a downpour in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, on November 18, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A child stands on rubble following a downpour in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, on November 18, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Local authorities said run-off from the torrential rain also overwhelmed Nha Trang streets.
The rain, which some residents said was the heaviest downpour in 18 years, brought about an unprecedented scale of devastation in the same 18 years in the tourist city, a local woman said.
A number of houses collapsed under the weight of sliding land and schools have been closed.
It reportedly damaged and flooded multiple roads, inundated railways and forced airplanes to reroute on Sunday.
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| A house is devastated during a torrential rain in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, on November 18, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Rescue workers seek victims of a landslide in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, on November 18, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Rescue workers carry an elderly woman in a hammock in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, on November 18, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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